Mt. Fansipan November 2015 Series

Early Riser

I woke up way before my alarm set at 4:00 am.  As I opened the hotel window to check the weather….cool mountain breeze greeted me. It was cold but nevertheless great weather for climbing.  There was no threat of any thunderstorm. 

I put on my hiking gears, open the door and walk towards the hotel

lobby to see if my guide is there.   Still early, the hotel lobby is empty with only one light on. Going back in my room I just did few repetitions of “Sun Salutation” and some stretching exercise.  I recounted the hotel told me when I arrived the day before that the restaurant will not open until 7:00 am for breakfast.  And there was no chance for me to eat my needed breakfast t for the climb.  Later on, the guide showed up at the lobby and I at once asked him if he

brought our breakfast and lunch with him. As I was in the course of finishing my inquiry about our meals he held me up and said “wait 2 minutes, I will get our breakfast and lunch”. And so I was consoled.  After the guide got back, we proceeded beside the road just across Sapa Park to wait for our shuttle service.  

taken upon hotel arrival around 3pm 

Sapa Town Park

French Connection

Few minutes passed a French lady in her hiking gears showed up and greeted us. Together we boarded the shuttle service and immediately set our headlamps ready.  It was still dark. Chatting with her she said she is also doing the Ultra Fansipan Day Hike.  Like me, she planned to be back before twilight and catch the evening bus to Hanoi. “ You speak English well Jade.” (that’s her name) I told her. “I studied overseas” she replied.

When the vehicle is about to leave, my guide ”Cha” asked Jade to step out of the shuttle  because that was not intended for her.  Then our 30-40 minutes ride to the Ranger Station (Tram Ton Pass) begun.

On our way to the Ranger Station, I was greeted by majestic view of Mt. Fansipan mountain ranges and the beautiful Silver Water Falls where you can see along the road. How I wished to get our vehicle stop for a short while and have some photos but we were in a hurry.  It was minutes passed 6:00 am and the Sun is about to set and so we need to get moving.  Cha said we should start before 6:00 am and we were several minutes late. 

Tram Ton Pass Jump off

Arriving at the Ranger Station, Cha needed to do some verification with the officers in charge. While waiting for him I hurriedly took some photos of the place.  A 7-man Korean team in their Red Viet uniform began the hike several minutes ago.

We started our hike just as Cha got out from the Office. He said the trail would be “ups and downs”.  No problem with me, I told him. The trail looked good but there were strong winds.  It was cold.

Rolling trails with several ups and downs crossing rivers is the characteristics of Tram Ton Pass. After about an hour of trekking I called Cha’s attention and wished to stop-by for our breakfast.  We catched-up with the Korean team and stopped at a large camp area. Immediately, Cha took out our breakfast from his native straw backpack. It was a piece of BAGUETTE (foot long), 2 hardboiled eggs and canned pork luncheon meat.  I tore about 3 inches of the bread, a little slice of meat and the eggs.  While eating, Jade and her guide passed us by.  Several minutes later a group of American and Indian nationals arrived and joined us for breakfast.  Their guide is Tomas whom I met at the bus station the day before.  Tomas is a friend of Cha.    Several minutes after, everyone readied and went off.  Cha and I were the last ones to leave the camp. 

Korean team in red shirts. Jade with her guide leading the trail

Along the trail I heard Tomas and Cha answered an inquiry of one of Tomas’ guys.  How many hours to reach the summit? They said: normally for the ones doing the Ultra day hike is 6 hours one way.  Recalling the information given to me by my hotel when I was still in Hanoi: It’s  8 hours to and pro Mt. Fansipan Summit. 

Getting the hang of my approach shoes

This was the first time I use my approach shoes for a major hike.  I was a bit uncomfortable using it because my feet is used to wearing a wide-soled hiking shoes to help establish balance during hops and jumps on the trails.  As I noticed Cha hopped and jumped over boulders and stones very confidently with his slippers.  Yes with slippers!  Early on, Jade and I noticed that Cha and all other guides were wearing slippers.  I remember Jade wanted to take pictures of them with their slippers but there was no time to do that. 

Boulders in Mt. Fansipan complex have rough texture when dry. So it’s easy for the guides to step on them even with their slippers.  Having said that….for safety not to slip and loose balance stepping on the boulders, I negotiated every piece with caution and extra care.   I did not easily established rapport with my approach shoes. I somehow sensed that my shoes wanted to prove its worth but I just didnot get comfortable with it easily.

By 9:00 am, we caught-up with the Korean team again whose taking turns getting some pictures by a beautiful ridge.  Almost the same time,  I saw Tomas’ team negotiating with the steel  ladders just above the ridge while Jade and her guide is way way ahead of all of us.  At that point in time, I was so ashamed with my self being the last man tailing for the Ultra Day Hike. I should have prepared myself for this climb in the first place but lazy me, all I got that time is just confidence to get it to the summit by midday.

Great Weather 
Possibly last remaining days of Great Climbing

“The weather is great” as I recalled Cha saying.  That Saturday was the first day with nice weather after several days of thunderstorms.  When it’s raining the trail gets slippery and trekkers will surely get wet.  Rain and exposure to winds altogether is a very very cold experience.  It was Cha’s 3 time to climb the mountain for the week being a regular guide of Mt. Fansipan. 

The second time I requested him to stop and eat I asked him what will happen when the cable cars were fully operational from Sapa town to Mt. Fansipan summit? Surely, guides will not be needed anymore and great climbing experience like the Ultra Fansipan day hike may not be as popular by then.  He just nodded and says: “if that time comes, my wife will be the one going to the mountain to sell something for the tourists to earn a living while I am going back to farming our land and take care of our children.

the cable service being constructed

cable lines near the summit

train service that believed to boot out guides job

not so good weather on my way to Sapa

Miscalculations

I was wearing my Columbia titanium convertible pants.  I decided to use that for comfort while traveling 7 hours from Hanoi to Sapa.  I had a relaxed traveling experience using the pants.  But little that I realize I should not be wearing that for Mt. Fansipan.  Cold breeze is penetrating on my legs and thigh muscles as I shiver every so often while I clung to the exposed ridges during our ascend from Camp 1 to Camp 2.  I already felt my muscles reacting on the cold weather as early as our first hour of trekking.  Several minutes after passing Camp 1, along the exposed steep slopes going to Camp 2 my quads,thigh and leg muscles  collapsed and cramped.  Cha was just watching me as I tried to improvise some remedies for it. In dissolution I suspected my approach shoes as the culprit of the cramps. So I later on took off my shoes and wear my sandals.  Cha said I cannot do that because my feet will not be protected.  I insisted and told him I know what I am doing pointing on the slippers he is wearing. Cha had to let go and spoil my idea.  Slowly we proceeded our ascend while I have been very cautious of my cramps.  That was the very first time I experienced muscle cramps on both of my calves and quadriceps  altogether at the same time. It was so frustrating experience thinking I will be left behind by other trekkers which honestly during our dispatch I plan to outrun to be the first to summit.  It was a disaster.  I was very disappointed but persisted to reach the summit before 1:00 pm.  Counting the hours then, that was almost 7 hours of trekking to the summit.

Before reaching the steel ladders, my hematoma on my left ring finger went off and bleed.  As I put on bandage on my finger I remembered an old antics that I reminisce when I was just starting mountaineering more than a decade ago. “Never underestimate any mountain”. Then asked myself, Did I?

Second Option

My wife knew the game plan I made for this trip.  I will check if the Sapa cable to Mt. Fansipan is
completed.  If it is, then to me there’s no more excitement of summiting Mt. Fansipan because anyone can do it with less effort taking the cable service. So I have to shift my climbing plan to backpacking Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia-Vietnam instead.  Early on, government of Vietnam announced that the Cable service is set to open September 2015.  If that will push through, I am also excited on backpacking Indochina as it was the idea I set after I visited Siem Reap, Cambodia May of 2015. Weighing and waiting for accurate bulletin I did not had any climbing training whatsoever for Mt. Fansipan.  I was certain then that the cable service is already up and running. Come October 2015, anxiously searching for updates about the Sapa cable over the internet…..I found nothing. Even Hanoi Hotels where my wife and I will be staying did not have concrete news about it.  It was only when I got to Sapa that I got a tangible and factual information about the cable service construction. No the construction is not completed yet as they (the government and the partner private company) are making sure of its safety when finally opened to public.

Resurrection

We started the trek around 6:30 am. Cha and I arrived at camp 2 by 11:10am.  Thirsty and starving, I talked with the people there and ask to spare me some rice meal, a chicken menu and hot soup asap.  I have to pay 140,000 Viet dong for the meal.  I fervently said yes at once and in around 20 minutes… the “tropic man” finally ate a decent (at least for me) rice meal to drive my adrenalin level back. After the meal, I took 2 cans of fruit juice and 500ml of bottled water.   We got off and continue our ascend before 12:00.  I still felt my stomach reacting with the full meal  we just had but felt much stronger then. There was no time to spare.  I made a statement with Cha that we have to turn back by 1:00 pm to be back at the hotel before 7pm.

Around 1:00pm and less than 100m left for the summit, I felt there was no chance to see the infamous landmark even if I beg off to Cha for us to push through.  There was traffic on the trail for groups traversing from the other end towards ours and the groups from Camp 2 that we caught struggling by our trail. Though saddened by the instance, I was still thankful for the gift of perseverance that unknowingly I thought I lost.  

a friend took the picture for me 2 weeks after

Easy descent

I then signaled to Cha and turned back to start our descent.  Feeling much better and leading the trail, it was a continuous descend until Cha requested  to stop for a short while at Camp 1 to pee and drink some water.  I also noticed he only got 1.5 L of water so I asked him what if I suddenly ask for some water, will he give me some? He immediately responded “Yes, of course” checking if there’s still left on his bottle.  I threw in another question to him: “Did you bring some water exclusively for me?”  He did not responded at once so I then said to him Oh, I think there will be no problem with me since I already drank more than 1 liter of fluid at Camp 2.   Later on, he then requested for another stop at the camp area where we had our breakfast.  We saw 3 guides playing cards and really enjoying with big laughs.  By around 5:30 pm we reached the Ranger Station. Checked out at the Office’s log and the officer handed me a laminated Certificate with my name on it and a medal.  I remember Cha made several calls around 3:00 pm while we were descending towards Camp 1. Speaking Vietnamese, several times I heard Cha mentioned “certificate” and “summit”.  

Before I boarded the shuttle service I ask Cha if I can take some photos of the Silver Waterfalls by the road.  He said yes and I thanked him for the affirmation. 

Silver Waterfalls with the shuttle service at the foreground

It was already dark when we arrived at the hotel.  Before saying goodbye, he requested me to have some time answering a feedback sheet and I answered it quickly for his favor.  When it was time for him to finally go home, I handed him my buff and some 50,000 dong as a token of goodwill and friendship and said “I’m going back next year and will request for you to be my guide.  We will be doing the Ultra Day Hike again at the same trail we did today and I will promise you if we start 6:30 am I will make it to the summit before 11:00 am or earlier”.

Square Gestures 

Still wet and cold, I took a shower and tidied up.  When I got the rest of my stuff at the hotel reception which I deposited for safe keeping, the Hotel receptionist surprisingly handed me a dinner stub.  Perhaps that was the hotel’s  generous gesture since I did not consumed my breakfast for the day yet.  I immediately proceeded to the restaurant for my dinner.  

By 7:30 pm, full and about ready to for the 7 hours bus ride to Hanoi, I went back to the trekker’s  area on the hotel’s lower level since there were several couches and recliner chairs there for us trekkers. While relaxing on one of the recliners I thought of Jade and Tomas’ team. They should be there with me because Jade’s bus schedule to Hanoi is the same as mine.  I was sure they made it to the summit but getting back to the Ranger station on headlamps is another challenge to unravel.  I just hoped for their safety.

By 8:30 pm I found myself at Hung Thanh bus Station in front of Sapa market.  After boarding almost 10:00 pm, I began my sweet 7-hour respite journey to Hanoi.   

rainy weather condition again going back to Hanoi